Would oppose heavily favored leader of army

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CAIRO — A leading left-wing Egyptian politician announced on Saturday that he will contest upcoming presidential elections, set to be a tough battle for anyone squaring off against the country’s powerful army chief, expected to win a sweeping victory.

Hamdeen Sabahi’s decision heats up an election slated for this spring and opens a window of hope to the country’s largely disenchanted youth who rose up against two presidents in the past three years — first against longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak, then the Islamist Mohammed Morsi.

‘‘I have taken this personal decision to enter the presidential battle,’’ Sabahi roared among his supporters. ‘‘The revolution must reach power democratically and stand as one line against terrorism.’’

Sabahi, who finished an impressive third in the June 2012 presidential election, appeals to a range of liberal, leftist, and secular-minded Egyptians who reject both military and Islamist rule. He is seen as a political rookie, however.

The announcement comes as a nationalist fervor grips the country, largely in support of Defense Minister Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi. Critics of the military face strong intimidation.

Sissi led the military coup that deposed Morsi last July after millions marched to demand his resignation. He has yet to publicly declare his intentions but the military has backed him.

In previous TV appearances, Sabahi said he was holding off on his decision until Sissi decided whether he would run. But Saturday he said he would be a candidate in response to demands from the youth.

Sabahi, founder of Popular Current group, was an opposition leader under Morsi. A journalist and sometimes actor, he has sent assuring messages to the military and Sissi supporters while disassociating himself from Morsi supporters and Mubarak loyalists.

‘‘There will be no tolerance to a corrupt regime and its symbols, not to Mubarak and not with the repressive regime of Morsi and his group,’’ he said.

During the 2012 campaign, Sabahi saw a last-minute surge in popularity after campaigning on promises to help the poor that harked back to the nationalist, socialist ideology of Gamel Abdel-Nasser, Egypt’s president from 1956 to 1970.

The bid comes amid a military-led offensive against Islamic militants in the Sinai Peninsula and continued clashes between police and Morsi supporters, who hold scattered demonstrations that frequently deteriorate into violence.

On Saturday, Egypt’s military said it had killed 16 suspected Islamic militants in a series of airstrikes on hideouts in the northern Sinai Peninsula a day earlier. Military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Mohammed Ali also alleged that the fighters had ties to Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.

The military has been waging a wide offensive against militant groups in Sinai, where they have solidified their position since the country’s 2011 uprising.

Militancy has spread to central Cairo and Nile Delta cities over the past months in retaliation for Morsi’s ouster.

Ali said on his official Facebook page that the airstrikes targeted hideouts of ‘‘terrorist, extremely dangerous takfiri’’ militants late Friday in the eastern border town of Sheikh Zuweyid. Takfiri is an Arabic term referring to Islamic radicals.

He described the targeted militants as affiliated with the ‘‘terrorist’’ Brotherhood group.